Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Review: Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine

Jazz is an ex-police officer whose life was well and
truly derailed by her partner being arrested – and convicted – for murder.
Quitting her job and leaving some hostile officers behind who would love to
lock her away as well, she is determined to have him proven innocent and
validate herself, her judge of character and the trust she placed in him. And
silent that nagging doubt at the back of her own mind.

Then there comes an offer that seems more than too good
to be true. Funding and guaranteed cases to set up a PI firm – something she
had tried to do but failed to get the financing for. And there’s only one catch
– she needs to work with a partner, Lucia Garza, ex-FBI agent who is looking
for a challenge and a less structured work place.

They’re both duly wary but they quickly work well together and even if it is
too good to be true, who turns down such an offer? Even if there are guys who
seem to be willing to fight – and even kill them – since the offer arrived.

But, in between their other cases, they complete their
benefactors cases. Cases which seem both trivial and bemusing. It’s only when
these seemingly benign cases are connected to a murder; revealing a much larger
and more bizarre reason for their recruitment.

For a long time I thought I’d made a mistake with this
book. I thought “Devil’s Bargain” was entirely metaphorical and there was no
supernatural elements at all. I thought I’d actually picked up a standard
mystery without any magic, vampires, angels or even a slightly confused Christmas
elf.

And I was fine with that.

Which is saying a lot for me. Unrepentant geek that I am, I have little time or
interest in books which don’t contain some element of the fantastic. Aliens,
vampires or elves, it has to have something non-mundane to keep me interested.
But this book I was quite happy to keep on reading without the supernatural.

The main reason for that was probably the characters. I
loved Jazz and I loved how she and Lucia bounce off each other. They did fit
together perfectly – and yes, it was a little freaky how quickly and amazingly
they gelled (but explained within the book) – but they did gel so well. They’re
funny, they’re witty, their skills go together – and even with Lucia having so
many qualifications, Jazz still fits in with useful skills and additions, she
isn’t the junior partner. We don’t face a classic situation of the cool,
competent one and the spunky, inept yet plucky and lucky one. They’re both
competent, both capable, both extremely good at their job and both bring unique
elements to the partnership. I even love how she bounces off Pansy, and she
only has a bit role. In fact, this is what makes the book for me – all the
characters, even Manny and Pansy who are in such minor roles, are such great
characters in their own right.

Jazz does start with a little Keille independence, but
she quickly grows out of it (thankfully). She also has some annoying guilt
complexes. Most of it is very real and very human – it’s reasonable for her to
doubt herself and her judgement of character after her partner is thrown in
prison for murder, after all, when you trust someone so much and it feels like
that trust is misplaced, it’s reasonable to doubt yourself. However, she does
take this and turn it into “oh everything is my fault and I am so worthless”
more than a couple of times – but not so many times that I’m turned off the
character. Her flaws are reasonable and when they step outside the reasonable,
they don’t stay that way. It’s a really nice balance.

I also like her relationship – normally I find love
interests distract and are so often done poorly. But while there is instant
attraction between her and James, there isn’t instant love, it takes months to
develop in the midst of a great deal of sexual tension and well done antagonism.

Lucia, in addition to being an excellent, competent, fun
character, is also a Latina woman who has both cultural and language
references- btu also contains criticism
and exposure of the racism she faces – stereotyping in her job, racial
profiling for having dark skin. It’s not a major part of the book, but it’s not
forgotten.

Unfortunately, the only reference to GBLT people in this
book was using an anti-gay slur – if you’re going to erase a minority, the
least you could do is erase the hate speech against them as well.

I do like Jazz’s morality. There’s so often an “end
justifies the mean” mentality to detective stories and her greater insistence
on not breaking the law is refreshing. I especially love how she is adamant
when it comes to killing that it’s wrong and that, no matter who and why,
saving a life is always good. Even killing a paedophile who had kidnapped a
child affected her – she never devalues life and makes a point of stressing its
importance.

On the story in general, a supernatural element did arise
ion the plot – and it’s a doosey. Duelling psychics.Each manipulating events with their pawns,
their Actors, towards unknown ends – but ends which are apparently pretty
major. The subtle actions they use, the subtle presences, to try and alter
major evens, seemingly minor things apparently having massive consequences –
and each just trying to tip the scale in their favour – it’s a really
fascinating idea. Obviously I have read some excellent books with psychics in
them before – but 2 people reading the future, duelling to move the odds in
their favour is a different one to me, really unique, really novel and really
fun. A battle by increments, but infinitesimal changes, by seemingly random
acts that build up into a whole – I can’t wait to read the rest of this series
and see how that develops from this.

Even leading up that, the character interactions, their day in work as PIs and
surviving the machinations of the Eidolon corporation make an exciting story
even without the great psychic concept.